Land levelling or leveling is the process of flattening land. This process is often undertaken for some of the following reasons:

• Creating bigger drainage areas
• To change the direction water flows.
• Stabilizing the ground for a stronger foundation for the following constructions:

1. Roads
2. Bridges
3. Buildings
4. Railroads
   • Make the ground level to make growing crops possible.

Methods

Land levelling can be undertaken by either adding, removing or moving mass, or by using special constructions like terraces

Terrace (agriculture)

Terraces are used in farming to cultivate sloped land. Graduated terrace steps are commonly used to farm on hilly or mountainous terrain. Terraced fields decrease erosion and surface runoff, and are effective for growing crops requiring much water, such as rice...

, tunnels, bridges, channels or aqueducts. The process for most simple forms of land levelling would be to first, take a topographic survey of the land to determine the high points and low points of the ground. Once these points are determined the ground should be plowed, then the ground from the high points should be dragged and brought to the low points.

Advantages

There can be various advantages for land levelling including:

• Enabling faster transportation.
• Enabling construction of higher buildings.
• Leading water to or away from an area (i.e. irrigation, sewage systems, or avoiding erosion)
• Creating better environments for crops to grow in.

Disadvantages

Some of the many disadvantages for land levelling are:

• Many environmental issue could arise due to the levelling of land.

1. Many animals may lose their homes due to the construction.
2. The plants and trees in the area can be affected due to the large earth movement.
3. The flow of storm water over the land can change affecting any bodies of water in the area.
   • The land may have to be leveled frequently every couple of years due to erosion.

Procedure

The procedure for land levelling is as follows:

• First a topographic map/survey should be taken and the elevations of the ground should be obtained.
• The land should then be marked with either marking paint, or stakes.
• A contractor should then come in with a tractor and the land levelling should be started by moving land.
• If it is to far to drag the dirt from the low places to the high places, it could be brought to the middle. Then it can be taken from the middle and spread out evenly so that the land will be flat.
• After this is done, the procedure of land levelling is completed.

Pricing

The pricing of land levelling really depends on many things, so a specific range of prices is not easy to provide. It depends on:

• The types of soil being removed.
• The amount of soil being moved.
• The distance the soil has to be moved.
• The area of land being levelled (1 acre, 2 acres, etc.).